Flotation of cement minerals



Patented Nov. 30, 1943 FLOTAIFION OF CEMENT DHNERAIJS Ludwig J. Christmann, Yonkers, N. Y., and Stephen E. Erickson, Springdale, onn., assignors to American Cyanamid Company, New York, N. Y a corporation of Maine No Drawing. Application lune 20, 1940, Serial No. 341,438

10 Claims.

The present invention relates to the froth flotation of cement minerals and more specifically relates to a method of improving the promoting power 01' the promoters ordinarily employed in concentrating cement ore values by froth flotation.

It is well known in the art that the values of cement ores can be concentrated or recovered by froth flotation processes in which fatty acid substances are employed as promoters. Among the more important promoters used heretofore are the free fatty acids themselves such as oleic acid, fish oil fatty acids, talloel, fatty acid soaps, and the like. In carrying out the actual froth flotation operation these various promoters may be mixed with an alkali such as caustic soda along with a water-immiscible oil such as fuel oil and may or not also contain a frother such as pine oil or kerosene.

In accordance with the present invention it has beendisco'vered that the promoting power of the fatty acid type promoters employed in concentrating cement materials by froth flotation can very greatly be increased by adding a low percentage of an aliphatic alcohol or aliphatic ether alcohol to the promoter prior to the froth flotation operation. Some of the prior processes have used alcoholic solutionsof flotation reagents, e. g., where the alcohol used is equal'to or greater than the amount of flotation reagent. In such processes the alcohol was used as a solvent for the flotation reagents and was merely a method of obtaining the flotation reagents in highly concentrated form. In thepresent invention, however, the fatty acid type flotation reagent is diluted with about 20% or less of analcohol to increase the promoting power. The quantity of alcohol employed in carrying out the present invention is very much less than the quantities employed as solvents in the prior solution methods. The exact reason why the promoting power of the cement flotation promoters is increased by the diluting with a small amount of an alcohol has not been deflnitely determined and we do not desire therefore to limit the present invention to any theory or explanation as to why the promoting power is increased.

In carrying out the present invention the fatty acid promoter. is diluted with about 20% or less of an aliphatic alcohol or aliphatic ether alcohol.

This mixture is then employed in the usual manner for conducting the froth flotation. We may, however, mix the fatty acid alcohol mixture with an equal quantity of fuel oil and then add 5 this 50/50 mixture to the flotation feed or pulp containing the correct quantity of caustic and then condition for a short time prior to the froth flotation.

It is an advantage of the present invention that the promoting power of the fatty acid type promoters is increased by diluting with 20% or less of any of the well known aliphatic alcohols or ether alcohols and is not limited to any particular alcohol or ether alcohol. Among the aliphatic alcohols that have been found to be useful are those such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl, butyl, iso-butyl, octyl; the polyhydroxy alcohols such as glycol, diethylene glycol, or polyethylene glycols, and the various ether alcohols such as mono-methyl ether of diethylene glycol, mono-ethyl ether of diethylene glycol, mono-butyl ether of diethylene glycol and the like. The term aliphatic alcohol as used in the appended claims is intended to include the "unsubstituted monoand poly-hydric aliphatic alcohols and the aliphatic ether alcohols such as those listed above.

The invention will be further illustrated in connection with the following specific examples.

Example 1 The ore sample used in these tests, was a sample of full size range cement rock slurry (not deslimed) from the Valley Forge Cement Company. The sample in the form of a pulp was thoroughly mixed by agitation with a mechanical agitator. I The procedure following in conducting these 40 flotation tests is described as follows:

Charges of the slurry containing 600 grams of dry solids were transferred to a laboratorysize Fagergren flotation machine and diluted to 22% solids with laboratory water.

Reagents were then added and conditioned with the pulp for one minute. The air valve was opened and the resulting concentrate froth was skimmed off for three minutes. The flotation test products were filtered, dried, weighed v and titrated for CaCOz contents.

The metallurgical data pertaining to these tests are given in the table.

subjecting an aqueous pulp of cement rock to froth flotation in the presence of talloel diluted Metallurgical data Concentrate Tailing Mixture tested. M 10 a 18025 No Per- Dist. Per- Dist. 11

' 0800] Percent Percent ofleed cent percent cent percent Promoter Diluent' weight 0200* 0500. 5751 115 caoo' c4001 1 1.

75.47 40.71 85.70 55.10 50.20 57.24 4481 8.0.8. N555 V 0.55 75.78 75.05 85.07 84.22 24.07 47.88 15.78 r.o.r.4.,00%.. Ethyl 5155551, 102' 0.54 75.40 80.80 84.50 00.58 10.11 88.20 0.57 -F.O.F.A.,507- 1011 1515511 0.05 75.42 75.55 84.80 84.54 2444 48.50 15.00 F. 0.1. .4., 0.. Isopropylalcohoi 10% 0.55 75.57 77.77 88.54 85.86 22.25 I 48.15 14.14 F.O. Sec.butylalcoho,l% 0.57 75.00 80.20 84.57 80.25 10.80 41.25 10.74 F. o. K418901772" Tert. butyi 41551151, 10%.--- 0.05 75.45 7808 84.55 88.51 21.02 41.25 11.40 F. o. r. 4.,0072. s05.0m 18155h51,1o7. 0.57 75.87 80.70 84.52 80.20 10.21 42.02 10.80 F. o. 8.4.00 Tert.'am 151551151.1 0.05 75.50 81.82 82.77 80.70 18.18 42.70 10.30 F. 0. 814,007; 11551151107, 0.57 75.02 75.27 84:57 8485 2475 48.55 .15.15 F. 0. 14.00%. 151 y 5:15: 51 diethylene 0.54

A yco 75.70 80.45 84.55 80.87 10.55 50.22 10.18 F. o. F. 4., 00%.. Butyl 551151 51 515511 715115 0.55

1 81m 1 75.72 1.80 85.54 24.85 78.54 72.84 75.05 11.0.8.8 N555 0.27 75.82 50.87 4.55 50.18 40.58 55.04 45.82 10.88 0078511 0515555 1 0.20 75.00 55.80 85.00 51.18 45.70 52.54 88.82 F, 0. 1 218 807 Ethylaleohol, 0.28 75.40 50.80 85.80- 75.50 58.51 50.00 25.81 F. 0. F. 11., 000"" Isopropylslcohol 10% 0.28 75.55 58.81 84.05 75.80 81.50 57.50 24.11 F. 0. 1 .4., 00 7 Sec. butylalcoho,l0% 0.20 75.20 05.88 84.52 74.01 88.12 50.70 25.00 F.o.r..4.,000". Tert. butyl 51551151, 10% 0.28 75.58 70.77 85.80 78.85 20.28 55.05 21.04 F. o. F. 4.,-00 7Z-- Sec. arnyl 51551151, 10%. 0.2 70.15 57.05 84.32,. 75.27 82.04 58.77 24.73: F. 0. F.A.,907. 'lertam 151551151 10% 0.28 75.55 75.10 85.54 80.71 25.00 54.25 10.20 F. o. F. .4.,00 7. c5 1 5115 1 0.20 75.14 52.05 8457 50.02 87.05 51.88 50.08 100.114.3021.. Etly 5511 41 51 515511 15115 0.20

3 co 75.74 08.05 85.80 75.50 81.04 58.58. 24.70 F. o. F. 4., 00%.. 553, 1 651151 51 diethyleno 0.50.

y 0 28...- 75.07 75.58 85.54 80.15 25.52 45.17 15.87 01515 8510 None 0.00 24 70.04 78.82 85.08 87.55 2 .58 48.58 12.37 01510 851d,00 7... Ethyl 51551151, 1 0.54 75.51 80.10 85.54 00.51 10.81 85. 2 0.40 01515 5515, Ethyl 1551151, 0.57 25 74.85 57.21 80.27 78.05 5270 50.14 21.07 010154510 N 0.28

75.57 72.40 85.84 81.75 27.50 40.08 18.24 015150515, Ethyl 51551151, 102' 0.20 28 75.42 72.85 85.54 82.45 27.15 48.81 17.57 01015 acid,80%.... Ethylalcohoi, 0.20 20 75.20 75.04 80.70 85.57 24.05 4472 14.55 TalloelH None 0.58 75.55 77.04 80.15 85.00 22.05 4472; 15.40 TalloelH, Ethyl 51051151, 107 0.55 81 75.00 70.00 85.78 80.85 25.04 45.55 15.14 T511551H,80% Ethyl 5155115120 75 0.07 52 75.54 50.07 80.54 57.80 40.05 51.57 82.20 TalloelH None; 0.25 75.25 08.50 85.40 .7584 81.40 50.25 28.10 T811551H,00% Ethyl 51551151, 10 7. 0.27 70.18 05.80 84.51 72.54 84.01 50.45 27.40 TalloelH, 1015 714155551, 0.25

1 above 05818 F. 'o. r. .4. 5581;115:511 "81] 511 fatty acid.

What we claim is: v

1. In the recovery of values from cement rock by froth flotation the process which comprises subjecting an aqueous pulp of cement rock to froth flotation in the presence of a fish oil fatty acid diluted with about 10% of ethyl alcohol as the flotation promoter.

2. In the recovery of values from cement rock by froth flotation the process which comprises subjecting an aqueous pulp of cement rock to froth flotation in the presence of a fish oil fatty aciddiluted with about 10% of an aliphatic alcohol.

3. The improvement in the recovery of cement rock values by froth flotation processes which comprises subjecting an aqueous pulp of cement rock to froth flotation in :the' presence of a cement rock ore promoter of the group consisting of higher fatty acids, mixtures of higher fatty acids, and soaps of such acids, said p'romoters being diluted with at least one aliphatic alcohol, the alcoholic content of said promoter being from about 9% to not more than about 20%.

4. In the recovery of values from cement rock by froth flotation, the process which comprises subjecting an aqueous pulp of cement rock to froth flotation in the presence of a fish oil fatty acid diluted with from about 9% to not more than about 20% of an aliphatic alcohol.

5. In the recovery of values from cement rock by froth flotation, the process which comprises with from about 9% to not more,than about 20% of an aliphatic alcohol. g

6. In the recovery of values from cement rock by froth flotation, the process which comprises subjecting an aqueous pulp of cement rock to froth flotation in the presence of talloel diluted with about 10% of an aliphatic alcohol. p

7. In the recovery of values from cement rock by froth flotation, the process which comprises subjecting an aqueous'pulp of cement rock to froth flotation in the presence of talloel diluted with about 10% of ethyl alcohol.

8. In the recovery of values from cement rock by froth flotation, the process which'comprises subjecting an aqueous pulp of cement rock to froth flotation in the presence of oleic acid diluted with from about 9% to not more than about 20% of an aliphatic alcohol.

9. In the recovery of values from cement rock by froth flotation, the process which comprises subjecting an aqueous pulp of cementrock to froth flotation-in the presence of oleic acid diluted with about 10% of an aliphatic alcohol.

10. In the recovery of values from cement rock by froth flotation, the process which comprises subjecting an aqueous pulp of cement rock to froth flotation in the presence of oleic acid diluted with about 10% of ethyl alcohol.

LUDWIG J. CI-Il'tIS'I'MANN. STEPHEN E. ERICKSON. 

